OK, so who among us has not felt so discouraged about our inability to lose weight that we have not tried, or at least thought about trying, one of the major weight loss programs?
I’ve been there! As young as in my early teens I have mustered up the will power to join a program or start a diet on many occasions.
The greatest lesson I have learned in my 44 years is that diets don’t work!
Why do you think the weight loss industry is so huge? It certainly isn’t because of a shinning, consistently successful track record.
US News & World Report just published an article comparing 6 major weight loss programs, based on a Consumer Reports study.
They measured the effectiveness of the diets based on nutrition analysis, weight loss success, ability to maintain the weight loss and exercise.
Volumetrics was praised for its low calorie, high fiber diet.
Weight Watchers has a “reasonable, sensible diet” that people can successfully maintain, but may grow tired of the weekly meetings, which can get costly. Focus on lifestyle changes.
Jenny Craig has the meals you buy and are delivered to your home, which is the bulk of the cost. After weight loss maintenance can be a challenge.
eDiets is a nice online subscription-based service. Another plan where you buy the meals & they are delivered. CR rated it low for weight loss results.
Ornish Diet is so low in fat that it can be a difficult diet to maintain. Its benefit is that the plan emphasizes physical activity.
Atkins has been known in weight loss circles for a long time as the highly restrictive ultra low carb diet. You can lose weight easily on this diet, but it is not a balanced diet and after a long period, you can’t help but crave carbs.
Anybody can stay on a diet for a time. A lot of us have successfully lost substantial amounts of weight. The hardest part is keeping it off.
The challenge lies in choosing a weight loss program that is
- flexible,
- customizable,
- provides enough success to motivate us to stay on the program, and
- focuses on lifestyle changes.
In my opinion, focusing on lifestyle changes is the key to success. Any food that can’t be eaten on a weight loss diet should be something you can live without forever.
I hate diets. They may work for some people, but for many more, they cannot maintain the restrictiveness. The repetitiveness of the weight loss and gaining it back isn’t as damaging feeling like a failure.
Get real and get healthy.
Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen
mentor.karen.imnotfluffy@gmail.com
